June 6, 2006
After 25 years of Raiders history, over 120 of the clubs favourite sons returned to Canberra Stadium on Saturday night for the all-time *'s reunion.
For some of them that had never had the chance to play at *'s premier Rugby League venue, it was the chance to reminisce about the good old days at Seiffert oval, while for others it was their first visit to a function room that had once been a grassy knoll at the then Bruce Stadium.
Either way, stories were told and a good time was had by all, as the former Raiders celebrated everything that has come their way in the last 25 years.
Raiders Chairman John McIntyre welcomed all of what he described as the ‘Raiders family’, and passed on his apologies that the father of the club Les McIntyre could not be present at the occasion.
McIntyre sent out special thanks to the Raiders first ever signing in Jay Hoffman, and all of those players who had traveled far and wide to return to the *'s capital.
The night though was always about the players, and former Canberra, Queensland and Australian great Gary Belcher said it was great to see so many familiar faces even though they had changed slightly.
â€*'s been a great chance to catch up and I applaud everyone involved for making it happen,†Belcher said. “You look around the room and see so much history, and even though some of the faces have aged, the spirit is still young.â€
The players attended the pre-game function in the Eastern Lounge of Canberra Stadium, before partaking in a lap of honour before the Raiders match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Former Raiders star Steve Walters said it was a great feeling to be back on the ground he called home for so long, and was excited to see the Raiders fans still supporting the club with the same passion and intensity as when he played.
After the match all the past greats joined the current squad in the Western Lounge, to help celebrate a great occasion and a great win over the Rabbitohs.
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